Carbon Monoxide Alarms

If you’re thinking about selling your residential property and  you have any gas appliances in it, you should know the Oregon legislature recently enacted  House Bill 3450 requiring carbon monoxide alarms in every residential building that is sold.  A detector is required within 15 ft of every bedroom in every residential sale.

The tragic story of a family that died in a vacation rental in Colorado was the impetus for this legislation.  The Lofgren’s, and their two children, rented a vacation home in Aspen and all of them perished one snowy Thanksgiving weekend in 2008, from carbon monoxide inhalation.  It is still currently the subject of much debate and a lawsuit is pending as to the fault of this tragedy.

All gas appliances, when natural gas is combusted, create carbon monoxide, which is noxious.  The gas that is created is odorless, tasteless and if the concentration is high enough, deadly.  Common sources of carbon monoxide are water heaters, furnaces, gas fireplaces, gas ranges and ovens, to name a few.  Each of these appliances must be properly vented, or you risk carbon monoxide poisoning.

For landlords in Oregon, all residential units must currently have CO detectors.  If you are currently renting property in Oregon, please contact me and I’d be happy to forward the requirements for you.

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